The Battle Of The Bulge A Montana Perspective

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest land battle in U.S. history, a battle that cost the United States 20,000 lives and stopped the last German offensive of World War II. The authors, both residents of Helena, Montana, studied the history of this battle and walked the critical sectors of the battlefield, examining examples of American heroism and looking for evidence of involvement by Montanans. Their objective was to better understand this significant battle and how our soldiers managed to stop an enemy steamroller, overcoming their fears while outnumbered more than three-to-one. This book examines the eleven critical junctures of the battle and includes personal stories of Montana veterans.

This book serves as a fascinating guide to 100 war films from 1930 to the present. Readers interested in war movies will learn surprising anecdotes about these films and will have all their questions about the films' historical accuracy answered. This cinematic guide to war movies spans 800 years in its analysis of films from those set in the 13th century Scottish Wars of Independence (Braveheart) to those taking place during the 21st-century war in Afghanistan (Lone Survivor). World War II has produced the largest number of war movies and continues to spawn recently released films such as Dunkirk. This book explores those, but also examines films set during such conflicts as the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, World War I, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The book is organized alphabetically by film title, making it easy to navigate. Each entry is divided into five sections: Background (a brief discussion of the film's genesis and financing); Production (information about how, where, and when the film was shot); Synopsis (a detailed plot summary); Reception (how the film did in terms of box office, awards, and reviews) and "Reel History vs. Real History" (a brief analysis of the film's historical accuracy). This book is ideal for readers looking to get a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the greatest war movies ever made.

The third volume of this American combat history of World War II highlights the exploits of General MacArthur in the Phillipines and General Patton in Germany and covers from the Battle of the Bulge to Hiroshima and the end of the war. Written by award-winning journalist, acclaimed historian, and World War II veteran Gerald Astor, THE GREATEST WAR is an Americancombat history of World War II told largely in the words of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who fought-and ultimately emerged victorious from-this battle. In this third volume, Astor highlights the exploits of General MacArthur in the Phillipines and General Patton in Germany and takes the reader from the Battle of the Bulge to the bombing of Hiroshima, and up through the end of the war. It is a gripping narrative of unparalleled courage, honor, and glory that is sure to become a military classic.

On December 16, 1944, along the Belgium/Luxembourg/German borders, in the deep snow and freezing cold of the Ardennes Forest, United States' soldiers began absorbing vast casualties in order to stop a surprise German SS counter-offensive. General Omar Bradley, commanding 12th Army Group comprised of General Courtney Hodges's First Army and General George Patton's Third Army, said this "Battle of the Bulge" ended on February 7, 1945, the day his armies regained all of the ground lost in the bloody onslaught. Randall LeCocq and I, two of Montana's many military veterans, decided to make a road trip to public libraries in Missoula, Butte, Great Falls, Bozeman, Billings, Miles City, Glasgow, Kalispell and Helena to tell about this greatest battle in the history of the American army from a Montana perspective. I call our appearances in 2018 the "Gonzo Road Show." These are the thoughts and impressions that surfaced for me while riding around our state. Hopefully they capture how Montana has changed and answer General Bradley's pressing question: "Whatever happened to Ring Neck Kelly?" In the current time of expensive and loud politics, I hope this quiet diary on paper will pierce the electronic noise relentlessly pounding us and our families.John Driscoll has devoted most of his 73 years exploring Montana, except for time spent in graduate study and in the army. He holds advanced degrees from Columbia University's School of International Affairs, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, University of Montana's Graduate School of Business and the U.S. Army War College. He is a former U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper, a former Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives, a former Montana Public Service Commissioner, a former member of the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council and a retired Colonel of the Montana Army National Guard. His last military assignment was working several years on the Joint Staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He currently resides in Helena, Montana, and enjoys pursuing historical mysteries that interest him.